Most Watched Game Releases of 2025

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2025 was an incredible year for gaming, filled with blockbuster releases, fan-favorite sequels, and ambitious new IPs that captured the attention of players and streamers alike. From fast-paced shooters and competitive sports simulators to sprawling open-world adventures and cult-classic remasters, the year’s top titles didn’t just make waves in sales — they dominated livestreams across Twitch, YouTube, and Kick.

In this article, we rank the most-watched game releases of 2025, highlighting the streamers, viewership numbers, and standout features that turned these games into streaming phenomena. Whether you’re a casual viewer, a dedicated gamer, or a content creator looking for trends, this countdown reveals which games truly captured the world’s attention online.

#10 Mario Kart World

Mario Kart World claimed tenth place in the ranking of the most popular game releases of 2025. Nintendo unveiled the racing title in early June as the first exclusive for its new Nintendo Switch 2 console. The game proved to be a worthy successor to the iconic kart racing franchise, offering nearly 60 playable characters, multiplayer support for up to 24 players, and a massive open world with dynamic weather systems. 

Both players and critics praised the release, and that strong reception helped Mario Kart World secure the Best Sports / Racing Game award at The Game Awards 2025.

During its first week after release, Mario Kart World streams generated over 14.8 million Hours Watched (HW) across major streaming platforms. The game quickly caught the attention of high-profile creators, including Félix “xQc” Lengyel, Rubén “Rubius” Doblas, and Saqib Ali “LIRIK” Zahid.

The title also gained strong traction within the VTuber community, with creators from various agencies jumping into competitive showcase tournaments almost immediately. Among them, Japanese VTuber Okayu Ch. attracted the largest audience during the game’s debut week.

#9 Call of Duty: Black Ops 7

The Call of Duty franchise needs no introduction, and Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 securing a spot in the top 10 most popular game releases of 2025 came as no surprise. That said, the title faced stiff competition from other shooters launched in the fourth quarter of the year.

Despite that crowded release window, the new game from Treyarch and Raven Software generated approximately 15.5 million HW across livestreaming platforms during its first week after release.

The release of Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 drew especially strong attention in the United States. Many top streamers, along with current and former professional players, streamed the shooter, including Seth “Scump” Abner, Anthony “Shotzzy” Cuevas-Castro, Kris “Swagg” Lamberson, and Timothy “TimTheTatman” Betar.

To boost viewership, nearly all of these creators ran Twitch Drops during their broadcasts, allowing viewers to earn cosmetic rewards and weapon skins simply by watching the streams.

#8 Hollow Knight: Silksong

Hollow Knight: Silksong, the metroidvania title from Team Cherry, was one of the most highly anticipated games of 2025, and its release lived up to expectations. The game proved to be a worthy successor to the original Hollow Knight, earning widespread praise from the gaming community.

Most notably, Hollow Knight: Silksong took home the top honor in the Best Action / Adventure Game category at The Game Awards 2025.

Many streamers took on Hollow Knight: Silksong, particularly those known for enjoying challenging, Souls-like games. The game’s boss fights demand intense focus, and not everyone was able to keep their composure under pressure.

Statistics show that roughly 95% of streamers who broadcast Hollow Knight: Silksong during its first week after release failed to complete the game. During those first seven days, streams of the title generated about 17.1 million HW. A significant portion of viewers tuned in specifically to earn an exclusive Hornet Twitch chat badge.

#7 EA Sports FC 26

EA Sports FC 26 emerged as the most popular game release of Q3 2025. During its first week after launch, the football simulator generated nearly 18.4 million HW, narrowly surpassing the buzz-heavy Hollow Knight: Silksong.

The game introduced several major gameplay upgrades, including a fully revamped dribbling system, improved AI for player positioning, and more realistic goalkeeper animations. On top of that, EA added a new Deeper Simulation mode to Career Mode, further expanding the single-player experience.

The launch of EA Sports FC 26 received an especially warm reception in Germany. Many well-known German creators streamed the game and hosted show matches, with Elias “eliasn97” Nerlich attracting the largest audience on Twitch. On YouTube, Spanish streamer Mario Alonso “DjMaRiiO” Gallardo led in total viewership, while klo25 generated the most Hours Watched on Kick during the game’s first week after release.

#6 The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Remastered

Nostalgia fans were thrilled by the April release of The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Remastered. Bethesda gave the 2006 classic a major facelift, rebuilding the visuals in Unreal Engine 5 and adding several quality-of-life improvements, such as smoother sprinting and redesigned menus.

In its launch week, Oblivion Remastered generated over 19.1 million HW, making it the second most-viewed new game of Q2. American streamer Quintin “Quin69” Crawford led in total watch time, with his broadcasts accounting for roughly 770,000 HW.

Peak viewership, however, belonged to Spanish creator Juan Alberto “IlloJuan” García, whose Twitch stream reached 38,857 concurrent viewers. The remaster attracted many top creators, with MMORPG-focused streamers especially engaging audiences through marathon streams and hardcore difficulty challenges.

 
#5 Kingdom Come: Deliverance II

Kingdom Come: Deliverance II, developed by Czech studio Warhorse Studios, has been widely praised by gaming media. The sequel to the beloved medieval RPG has lived up to expectations, earning strong acclaim from critics. On the livestreaming front, the game also performed impressively, amassing over 20.6 million HW during its first week and holding the top spot among new releases until Monster Hunter Wilds launched.

The game drew significant attention from streamers in both the U.S. and Europe. Leading in watch time was veteran gamer Ben “CohhCarnage” Cassell, whose Twitch broadcasts accumulated more than 852,000 HW during the first week. Other prominent streamers included Zack “zackrawrr” Hoyt, Alan “alanzoka” Ferreira, Vojtěch “Agraelus” Fišar, and Elias “Elajjaz” Lönn. Many of them participated in Twitch Drops, giving viewers cosmetic rewards for watching their Kingdom Come: Deliverance II streams.

#4 Battlefield 6

Fall 2025 was packed with high-profile game releases, and Battlefield 6 was undoubtedly one of the biggest. The game lives up to the legacy of the series, this time focusing on a conflict between a fractured NATO and the private military company Pax Armata.

Battlefield 6 introduced a revamped movement system, letting players lean out from cover, hitch rides on vehicles, and drag downed soldiers to safety before reviving them. The first season also launched a free battle royale mode, Battlefield RedSec, adding even more ways for players to jump into the action.

Battlefield 6 captured the attention of nearly every streamer focused on shooters and battle royale games. During its first week, streams of the game totaled 23.8 million HW, with Canadian streamer Michael “shroud” Grzesiek leading the pack, contributing over 1.5 million HW himself. Other notable creators, including Maher “maherco” Sultaneh, Ben “CohhCarnage” Cassell, and Timothy “TimTheTatman” Betar, also hosted broadcasts, helping drive the game’s early streaming success. It’s also worth mentioning that Battlefield 6 took home the Best Audio Design award at The Game Awards 2025.

#3 Elden Ring: Nightreign

One of the most-watched game releases of 2025 was Elden Ring: Nightreign. This spin-off of FromSoftware’s cult classic retained the series’ hardcore gameplay while introducing roguelike elements and cooperative play, allowing friends to tackle bosses together. Its popularity was evident, with over 3.5 million copies sold in the first week alone.

During release week, streams of Nightreign amassed 28.9 million HW, the highest for any new game in Q2 2025 and the second-best figure for the first half of the year. Nearly all top Twitch and YouTube creators jumped in, with Kuzuha Channel leading the way at over 600,000 HW.

Japanese streamers were particularly active, reflecting strong local fan support, while international stars like Zack “zackrawrr” Hoyt, Elias “Elajjaz” Lönn, Maximilian “Maximilian_DOOD” Christiansen, and Rubén “Rubius” Doblas also drew large audiences.

#2 ARC Raiders

ARC Raiders made a huge impact during its launch week, quickly becoming one of the most-watched new games on Twitch. The game’s striking visuals, intense combat, and cooperative gameplay drew thousands of players and streamers eager to explore Embark Studios’ ambitious sci-fi shooter.

A free-to-play third-person extraction shooter, ARC Raiders is set in a dystopian world overrun by mechanical invaders called the ARC. Players team up in squads to explore vast environments, scavenge resources, and fend off relentless robotic enemies while trying to extract safely. Its mix of survival mechanics and cooperative tactics makes every mission unpredictable and every encounter tense. The game earned widespread praise from critics and took home the Best Multiplayer Game award at The Game Awards 2025.

During its first week, ARC Raiders streams generated over 35.6 million HW, making it the most-viewed game debut of 2025. Twitch Drops, which rewarded viewers with exclusive emotes and keychains, helped boost these numbers. Leading the charts for watch time were Twitch streamers, with Michael “shroud” Grzesiek at #1, followed by Japanese creator Junichi “kato_junichi0817” Kato. For peak concurrent viewers, Kick streamer Ahmed “sxb” Alqahtani from Saudi Arabia topped the list, drawing over 60,200 simultaneous viewers.

#1 Monster Hunter Wilds

The most-watched game release of 2025 was Monster Hunter Wilds from Japanese developer Capcom. The sequel to Monster Hunter: World launched at the end of February and was met with widespread excitement, appealing not only to longtime fans but to the broader gaming community as well.

In its first week, streams of Monster Hunter Wilds generated over 41.7 million HW across multiple platforms. This number includes data from categories that were previously excluded from the quarterly report because of non-standard naming. The updated figures provide a more complete and accurate picture.

The game attracted numerous top streamers and VTubers, particularly from Japan, including Chikara “fps_shaka” Kawakami, Pekora Ch., and Kuzuha. Western creators like Zack “zackrawrr” Hoyt, Emily “Emiru” Schunk, Maximilian “HandOfBlood” Knabe, and Jason “PirateSoftware” Hall also streamed the game. On Twitch alone, nearly 20,000 channels were broadcasting Monster Hunter Wilds content during its launch week.

Twitch quickly became the go-to platform for the game’s streams, partly thanks to Twitch Drops. Viewers could earn in-game rewards, such as Barrel Bombs, Shock Traps, Demon Powder, and more, simply by watching broadcasts.

Most Watched Game Releases of 2025